BA in Political Science
Degree Program Description
Political science is concerned with government, politics and public policies. In political science students learn how government operates and how to analyze and evaluate public policies and political ideas. This training can help students be more effective as active citizens, as political leaders and as government administrators. The curriculum offers opportunities to link academic study with internships and study abroad. Political Science graduates pursue many careers, some related to politics, but many others pursue other paths in a wide variety of areas such as: law, business and finance, consulting, government, public relations, media, advertising, lobbying, and international relations.
Major Program Requirements
In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
| Required Major Courses | 6 | |
| American Government | ||
| The Science of Politics | ||
or POL_SC 3000W | Introduction to Political Research - Writing Intensive | |
| Comparative government (at least one course required) | 3 | |
| Canadian Politics and Government | ||
| Comparative Political Systems | ||
| Politics and the Military | ||
| European Democracies | ||
| The Politics of Sport | ||
| Latin American Politics | ||
| Latin American Politics through Film | ||
| European Political Systems | ||
| The Politics of Modern Europe | ||
| African Politics | ||
| Middle East Politics | ||
| Canada in North America | ||
| Policies and Institutions of the European Union | ||
| Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy | ||
| Korean Politics: North and South Korea | ||
| Understanding Korea Through Film | ||
| America's Wars in Asia/War and Peace in Asia | ||
| Terrorism: Religious, Ethnic and Ideological Politics | ||
| Politics of Development | ||
| Women and Politics | ||
| Comparative Political Culture | ||
| Power and Money | ||
| Comparative Political Parties | ||
| Comparative Political Behavior | ||
| Dictatorship and Democracy | ||
| The Age of Democratization? | ||
| International Affairs (at least one course required) | 3 | |
| International Relations | ||
| Globalization, Identity and Citizenship | ||
| The Politics of International Law | ||
| Nation Building through a Barrel of a Gun | ||
| "Chasing Ghost", The History of Irregular Warfare | ||
| Theories of International Relations | ||
| Politics and War | ||
| Genocide, Terrorism and Civil War | ||
| Strategy and Warfare | ||
| Politics of Cyber-Security | ||
| Peacekeeping and Intervention | ||
| Politics of International Economic Relations | ||
| Global Human Rights | ||
| Nationalism and Democracy | ||
| International Organization | ||
| The European Union in the Global System | ||
| American Foreign Policies | ||
| Environmental Conflict | ||
| Political theory/methodology (one course highly recommended, but not required) | ||
| Liberty, Justice and the Common Good | ||
| Introductory Statistics for Political Science | ||
| Computing Methods | ||
| Classical Political Theory | ||
| Freedom and Power | ||
| Contemporary Political Theory | ||
| Developing Dynamics of Democracy | ||
| Scots and the Making of America | ||
| The Politics of Dissent | ||
| Contemporary Political Analysis | ||
| Beltway History and Politics: American Constitutional Democracy in Theory and Practice | ||
| Journal on Constitutional Democracy | ||
| American politics/public policy (at least two courses required) | 6 | |
| Introduction to Black Politics | ||
| State Government | ||
| How Government Affects You | ||
| The Judicial Process | ||
| Missouri Politics | ||
| Democracy, Pluralism, and Civil Discourse | ||
| Artificial Intelligence, Government, and Policy | ||
| Race and the American Story | ||
| American Constitutional Democracy | ||
| The Intellectual World of the American Founders | ||
| Constitutional Debates | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Political Parties and Election Campaigns | ||
| Political Behavior | ||
| Politics and the Media | ||
| African-American Politics | ||
| Race and Politics | ||
| Race, Immigration, and Urban Politics | ||
| Congress and Legislative Policy | ||
| The History of American Legislatures | ||
| The American Presidency | ||
| Interest Groups | ||
| Politics of the American South | ||
| Politics and Hollywood | ||
| Elections and Democracy in the United States | ||
| The American Constitution | ||
| Constitutional Rights | ||
| The United States Supreme Court | ||
| Constitution and Civil Liberties | ||
| Constitutional Litigation | ||
| Comparative State Politics | ||
| Public Policy | ||
| Policy Analysis | ||
| Issues in Public Policy | ||
| Data Science & Public Policy | ||
| Law, Policy, and Regulation | ||
| Politics of Criminal Justice | ||
| United States Health Politics and Policy | ||
| Democracy in America (and Elsewhere) | ||
| Principles of Public Policy Administration | ||
| Democracy, Pluralism, and Civil Discourse | ||
| Artificial Intelligence, Government, and Policy | ||
| Regional and Economic Development Policy | ||
| Program Assessment and Improvement | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Local Government Management | ||
Options
For students who want to concentrate on a specific area, suggestions for a course of study are available from the academic advisor. These include:
- Government service for students who want to become government administrators
- Public information and reporting for students who plan to be governmental press secretaries, public information specialists, interest group lobbyists or government reporters
- International relations for students who want to work for multinational corporations or international agencies
- Graduate school preparation
- Law school preparation
Accelerated BA in Political Science to MA in Defense and Strategic Studies
The Truman School’s Master of Arts (MA) in Defense and Strategic Studies equips students with a broadened intellectual horizon and increased understanding of international relations theory and conflict studies. Our graduates are equipped for military and civilian careers, particularly positions in government agencies, think tanks, and industries related to international security. The MA in Defense and Strategic Studies requires 30 credit hours of coursework. Students take three core courses and 7 elective courses. At least 12 credit hours must be at the 8000-level. All courses are three credit hours.
The Truman School of Government and Public Affairs offers a 4+1 program that allows undergraduate students to earn their BA in Political Science and an MA in Defense and Strategic Studies in five total years. Students in this accelerated option may take up to 15 credit hours from the list below during their undergraduate career. These courses will count towards the Political Science major hours.
Undergraduate students must complete 90 credit hours with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be officially accepted into the accelerated program prior to beginning dual enrolled graduate-level courses. Upon successful completion of program requirements, the undergraduate degree is conferred at the end of year four and the MA is conferred at the end of year five.
Total credits for graduation: 135
- Undergraduate credits: 105
- Dual credits: 15
- Graduate credits: 15
| Core Courses | 9 | |
| POL_SC 8450 | International Conflict | 3 |
| POL_SC 8470 | Understanding Civil War | 3 |
| POL_SC 8550 | Strategic Studies | 3 |
| Elective Courses | 21 | |
| POL_SC 7412 | Strategy and Warfare | 3 |
| POL_SC 7415 | Peacekeeping and Intervention | 3 |
| POL_SC 7500 | Insurgency and Counterinsurgency | 3 |
| POL_SC 7510 | Intelligence and National Security | 3 |
| POL_SC 7520 | Deterrence and Nuclear Weapons | 3 |
| POL_SC 7540 | American Foreign Policies | 3 |
| POL_SC 7560 | Military and Strategic Thought | 3 |
| POL_SC 8400 | International Relations Theory | 3 |
| POL_SC 8560 | Military Innovation in Peace and War | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8170 | Public Policy Processes and Strategies | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8210 | Public Service and Democracy | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8530 | Strategic Management of Public Service Organizations: People, Information and Money | 3 |
Accelerated BA in Political Science to MPA in Public Affairs
The Master of Public Affairs (MPA) is a professional degree combining rigorous coursework and experiential learning opportunities to prepare students for ethical leadership in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The Truman School of Government and Public Affairs offers a 4+1 program that allows undergraduate students to earn their BA in Political Science and an MPA in five total years. Students accepted into the program will begin taking dual-enrolled graduate-level coursework during their fourth year of study to count towards both their undergraduate and graduate program requirements. Any dual-enrolled 7000-level or higher PUB_AF course may be used towards Political Science major hours.
Undergraduate students must complete 90 credit hours with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be officially accepted into the accelerated program prior to beginning dual enrolled graduate-level courses. Upon successful completion of program requirements, the undergraduate degree is conferred at the end of year four and the MPA is conferred at the end of year five.
Total credits for graduation: 141
- Undergraduate credits: 105
- Dual credits: 15
- Graduate credits: 21
| Fourth Year (Dual Enrollment) | 15 | |
| Research Methods and Inquiry in Public Affairs I | ||
| Research Methods and Inquiry in Public Affairs II | ||
| Public Affairs Internship | ||
| Fifth Year (Full-time Graduate Student) | 21 | |
| Public Service and Democracy | ||
| MPA Capstone (Applied Project) | ||
Graduate Electives | ||
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| POL_SC 1100 (Missouri State Law Requirement) | 3 | Political Science, 1000+ level | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Behavioral Science from Arts & Science | 3 |
| Behavioral Science | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Social Science | 3 | Math and Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| POL_SC 2500 | 3 | Political Science, 1000+ level | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 |
| Second Language Requirement | 4 | First Writing Intensive | 3 |
| Social Science from Arts & Science, 2000+ level | 3 | Second Language Requirement | 4 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Political Science, 4000+ level | 3 | Political Science, 4000+ level Writing Intensive | 3 |
| Biological or Physical Science lab | 3 | Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 |
| Social Science, 2000+ level | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Second Language Requirement | 4 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ level | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ level | 3 | ||
| 13 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Political Science, 4000+ level | 3 | Political Science, 4000+ level | 3 |
| Political Science, 4000+ level | 3 | Political Science, 1000+ level | 3 |
| Humanities, 2000+ level | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ level | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ level | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ level | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
- Change your Major. If you are considering changing your undergraduate major or are choosing between several majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573) 884-9700 or through the Discovery Center service in your MU Connect success network.
- Decided on a Major. If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring that major.
- Identify your Interests and Strengths. If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values, and talents, visit the staff at the MU Career Center. No appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- Explore MU Majors. If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit Majors at Mizzou or the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.